While I've not read anything from Ava Reid, I've only been told promising things about her works and when I saw this book was available to request I knew I had to give it a go and I'm glad I did. Overall, I've given 'Lady Macbeth' 4 stars out of 5.

This dark and compelling book tells the story of a seventeen year old, newly married Roscille (Lady Macbeth) trying to find her footing in a new situation and grappling with power, vulnerability, ambition and revenge. The story is told in three acts staying true to Shakespeare, each one better than the last.

Lady Macbeth is far from perfect - ambitious, but she's also vulnerable, emotional and deals with inner turmoil. She was easily the best character in the book which is great for the author given that she is the titular character. I'll be giving other works by Ava Reid a try if the writing is anything like it was in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-ARC.

Lady Macbeth was utterly riveting, and transforms her from the evil villainess the great Bard created into a living, breathing woman who had no one to fight for her except herself. Ava Reid's book is one for the ages, as it reveals, what I believe, is a version of this woman that rings true. I loved every eloquent word and was lost in this book until the very last page. Finally, finally, Lady Macbeth's real voice is heard - but it does not go easy for her. But "screw your courage to the sticking point' and I promise you will love this book as much as I did. Absolutely fabulous!

I was so excited to be approved to read the arc of Lady Macbeth. I hadn’t read anything by Ava Reid yet, although A Study in Drowning has been on my tbr for a while and I’ll definitely be picking it up now! The cover immediately drew me in with the neon pink, a love a good typography moment signaling the mix of old and new, tradition with a twist. And that’s exactly what Lady Macbeth is all about.

Right away, I was hooked by the haunting, lyrical writing. You’re dropped straight into foggy, dreary, lonely Scotland. The only girl, on the cusp of womanhood, in a castle surrounded by rough men. Further removed from personhood by being a prize that was won, bought, claimed, separated from humanity by a veil she must wear, lest she drive mortal men to madness.

A drop of kindness from one man turns into betrayal. A rough and formidable husband that takes what he wants, but her years of silent observation reveal that he can be wielded like an arrow, pointed in a direction and fired off with a few choice words, a promise of honor, a prophecy. Another man, this one truly kind, has a secret of his own.

There were so many lines I adored. “In the theater behind her eyelids” read as a little tribute to the Bard himself. Another favorite was this:

“Then the beast is more humane than any mortal man,” she says bitterly. “To resist such an urge — to flee rather than to feast.”

My only real criticism is that the book is short, very short, and as a spin off on that comment, is definitely priced far too high for such a short book. The hardcover will be $28.99 but the book is around 300 pages and I read it in a few hours. I don’t necessarily think it needs to be longer, as it felt like every word was carefully chosen and placed.

All in all, I adored this book. It was lyrical and atmospheric. It drew me in instantly when I’d put it down and thought maybe I didn’t feel like reading it right then. It was a fascinating reimagining of a girl coming into her power and realizing the world might have been wrong about her all along.

Ava Reid has a talent for writing prose that really immerses you into the character and the plot. Lady Macbeth is one of her best works and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

A sinister, gothic twist on one of the most villainous ladies in literature. Fans of Ava Reid should be flocking to this with no hesitation. Excellent writing.

Thank you Random House Ballantine for the digital ARC!

If there is one thing Ava Reid does right it is setting a moody, eerie mood. If there's another thing they do well... it's create polarizing stories. The meat and potatoes, of the book, however.... I'm not exactly articulate enough or educated enough to write about. But I don't think this did for Macbeth what the author was wanting it to do. A bit disappointing, but I don't dislike it at all. I still enjoyed it for what it was, on page. But it's leaps and bounds away from the OG bad bitch Lady Macbeth. Most of us can probably agree that the cover art is literally STUNNING! It's kind of like when you see a gorgeous, gorgeous girl in public and accidentally stare in a really open way because you know you are witnessing the golden ratio with your literal eyeballs and it's mind boggling.

I was lucky enough to be given an ARC of this book, and I am awaiting the day of publication to buy it! Ava Reid has carved herself to be one of my favorite authors and this book has truly solidified for me her stunning work in storytelling. This amazing retelling of Lady Macbeth, giving her a voice and will and mind behind the infamous Shakespeare story of Macbeth has made me want Reid to write more retellings such as this. The writing and prose were incredible, very descriptive and flowed off the tongue in a continuous storytelling fashion. Roscille is now one of my favorite FMC I've ever read. She has strength in her mind and in her words, but I loved how Reid showed the reader what silent female rage can look like. I was in awe at how the FMC portrayed cleverness and showed her own individual strength given the environment and time that she was in. Not to mention how the inclusion of witches and dragons just made this all the more better. There are some books that I read and after I'm finished I feel smarter— this was one of those. It is insane how Reid can put together such a complex and layered story, with such lovely prose. While the minimal romance that was included in here was AMAZING, i found that the main importance of the story wasn't around that, which i appreciated. This story is focused on Roscille and the voice behind Lady Macbeth, which conveyed such a beautiful and powerful message.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an eARC copy of Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid.

Macbeth has always been one of my favorite plays, so I was intrigued to see that there was a novel based on Lady Macbeth's point of view. The story started off well, a young girl being taken to her new home and having to learn a new culture, new people. But then, mid-way through it became more of a messy fanfiction of Lady Macbeth and at this point, I just wanted to finish it as the book itself wasn't that long. The only character who is really formed is Lady Macbeth, everyone else just seems flat...despite being well rounded in the play. It honestly could have been a lot better.

I love Ava Reid and I love even more some historical fiction. Shakespeare retelling you say? I am IN!

Ava’s writing style kept true to the time period but had a haunting and gothic essence which I enjoyed. I re-read Macbeth, which you don’t need to do, prior to this retelling and I feel it helped me have a refreshed understanding of the characters.

The original Macbeth was enjoyable, but the reimagining and focus on Lady Macbeth and her own influence and strategy is what captivated me. The entire story was masterful—intellectual writing with added layers of essence and intrigue. There’s desire and romance mixed with power and vengeance—it feels glorious. Lady Macbeth found her own path to power instead of just being born into it. I still feel like I’m entranced by a spell after reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Macbeth is my favorite Shakespearean work and I was so excited to see something that focuses on Lady Macbeth. I really enjoyed this take on the story. Lady Macbeth is a great character and Ava does her character justice.

This is Lady Macbeth's story - a seventeen-year-old girl who is scrambling for footing in her new husband's home, a creature desperately trying to build power to protect herself. Reid's writing is lush and visceral, tense and atmospheric. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I may go back and read it again immediately.

The prose and dialect in this novel is unlike any I have read previously. I found the nature of the narrative to be poignant and graphic, while keeping with historical accuracy. This book felt truly intentional, meaning the author chose each word and metaphor with reasoning. As someone who was not too familiar with the story of Macbeth, I still found myself entranced with this book, each character new and exciting. The one piece that is keeping my rating from being higher, is that the FMC and other MC’s felt one dimensional. Even though there was some character development, the themes felt repetitive and nothing was truly delved deeper, in my opinion. I loved the gothic vibe and atmosphere that was developed throughout this narrative, but wish we could have seen more deeper development within the characters.

This one just didn’t quite hit the spot for me, unfortunately.

Ava Reid creates a Lady Macbeth that isn’t the mastermind, but the puppet. I personally haven’t seen a take like this on Macbeth before, so that, at least, made it an interesting read.

Unfortunately though, this just didn’t feel like an Ava Reid book to me. The prose was fine, but it just wasn’t what I’ve come to expect from Reid. Also, there wasn’t single round character in this book. Every character felt flat and two-dimensional. It made it hard to connect with the story or even are about what was happening to the characters.

Even though this one wasn’t a hit for me, I’m still looking forward to whatever Ava Reid writes next. She has become one of my favorite authors, and I can still see the hints of what makes her so great in this book.

A well-written book with a dark, tragic, compelling story. Being able to see into the mind of Lady Macbeth was such a haunting perspective. Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop! The reimagining of this tale was captivating and the ending was not what I expected, but amazing nonetheless. Ava Reid’s writing style is beautiful and she always knows how to capture my attention. I always look forward to reading her works.

Thank you for letting me read it early!

I loved A Study in Drowning, so I had high hopes for this one - but it just ended up feeling a little flat. As I was reading, I didn't really feel like Lady Macbeth was very compelling or completely understand her motivations for doing what she did. Also there was a lot of anti-Scott rhetoric which felt weird and misplaced. Especially because the love interest was half-English.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I grew up knowing the story of Macbeth and I think this was a great retelling of the story but based around Lady Macbeth. Throughout the story, there’s a sense of dread that compels you to continue reading. The entire time I am rooting for Roscille to grow into her true role as villainess but I ended up feeling empathy for her situation. She embraced her powers and her potential in order to not only save herself but to save her people as a true queen. There’s a small sprinkle of romance on the sections with Lisander and I liked that it did not overshadow the main plot and the focus on Roscille.

✨Lady MacBeth by Ava Reid✨

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

I was a bit hesitant to go into this book because I didn’t necessarily enjoy A Study in Drowning. However this book delivered on similar themes but executed it 10 times better in my opinion.

This book follows Roscille (Lady MacBeth) as she’s on her way to new husband after her father basically sold her away. Roscille is said to be witch cursed and men have feared her her entire life. Roscille is just trying to survive a male dominated world in a time that thrives in manipulation, cleverness, danger, and pridefulness.

This book is relatively short, but packs of punch in both being thought-provoking, and having a compelling plot. I was able to finish it in a day and enjoyed reading it immensely. This is able to make you feel so much for Lady Macbeth in such a small amount of time.

This book has similar themes to A Study in Drowning but in this setting and time period it’s more believable for such a male dominated world. Nothing was forced as I felt it kinda was in A Study in Drowning. Also, Ava Reid can write. There were many instances that I was highlighting page upon page just because of how beautiful and sometimes grotesque the writing was.

Fingerscrossed this book makes it in a special edition book box but it’s so deserving! If you like though provoking, grotesque, gothic stories following a FMC that is as vulnerable as she is manipulative then this book is for you. Please check the trigger warnings first before reading though!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey publishing for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on August 6 of this year.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey via NetGalley for providing me with this ARC! I absolutely LOVED reading this. It was gothic, it was atmospheric, it was witchy, it was everything I could have wanted in a book. The dreary January weather definitely amplified the vibes, but the prose was poetic, even lyrical at times. Even though the prose felt elevated in some ways it didn’t feel inaccessible— I think many people would enjoy this book. Have already begun recommending my friends check this out when it releases in August so we can talk about it!

While I loved some of the new spins on Macbeth this had I.e., added witchery and dragons, overall I struggled to get through this one. I can’t go into too much detail without giving things away but if you love Macbeth I would suggest going into understanding it only mildly follows the plot.

Things I loved: hearing the story from Lady Macbeth’s (Roscille) POV and giving her witch like abilities. I loved seeing her being the schemer and making the decisions cloaked as decisions Macbeth himself made. I also loved the imagery and descriptions used to create Glammis.

Things I didn’t love: the redundant phrases and misogynist undertones of every male character with the exception of one. For example: Macbeth is portrayed as this awful huge giant beast of a man with no respect for women, even though he listens to her and even asks for her guidance through the first 2/3 of the story.

I’d say give it a shot, maybe even more so if you don’t recall any of the original plot of Macbeth.

I am so incredibly conflicted in writing my review. I had certain expectations for this story and it ended up falling a bit flat for me and I’m trying to pinpoint the source of that feeling. I want to give it a fair review, but I can’t help but compare Lady Macbeth to Reid’s previous works, which I loved more. If I strip away my expectations I think I would give this book four stars. As a fan of Ava’s previous works and writing, I’m inclined to give it a 3.5/3.75.

What worked well:
Reid is a master of their craft when it comes to writing a gothic, dark atmosphere that makes the reader's skin crawl. I felt the foreboding, the unease, and the despair of the main character in the most visceral sense. (This book is DARK, in a Juniper and Thorn kind of way, and leaned more horror than I was expecting. Fans who love gothic horror will eat this up. I'm not sure I am part of that group.)

The prose was poetic and vivid and I appreciated the language use, and even the narrative tool of giving our main character different names to illustrate her identity being fluid and tied to the men using it.

I appreciated how the story had a three act structure as a nod to a Shakespearean tragedy. (Especially looking back after finishing the story.)


Some motifs worked really well, like the veil and magic (will not go into details because of spoilers) and there were some really interesting reveals that I wanted to explore more of: (the witches, Roscille’s magic, the dragon as an idea).

Now on to what didn’t work for me…

After reading three of Reid’s books I’m realizing that the themes of xenophobia, misogyny, sexual assault, and introverted FMCs manipulated by the men in their lives are all central themes in every single one of Reid’s bodies of work. I have really appreciated Reid’s social commentary and the care in which they tackle these topics. However, This book’s handling of these themes felt the most one dimensional. After revisiting these same themes in this book, I didn’t feel that anything new was being added to the conversation that wasn’t already explored more impactfully in Reid’s previous works. For example, the motifs used in a Juniper and Thorn of food, hunger, body parts, and poison were nuanced and there was a lot of trust in the reader to tie them to the themes of the story. Here “Ermine” is used nineteen times in addition to the other constant animal analogies. I just wished it had a lighter touch to make it more powerful.

In the same vein, the characters also felt a bit repetitive if you’ve already read Reid’s work. I’m starting to feel like I’m reading the same story in a different font. I felt Roscelle had the weakest character arc out of all of Reid’s FMC’s. Are we meant to realize that she’s not actually cunning and cut throat? Is she just a naive teenager? Has she actually gone mad? Macbeth, and all the Scotts mentioned albeit one, are all depicted as brute, aggressive, women assaulting villains. There’s no complexity to their characters, which makes it a bit less interesting.

The romance in this story was also hard to get behind. It was an instant attraction and lacked the depth it needed to go beyond lust and obsession. Even in her love story of choosing, Roscille is still depicted as an object to be coveted and possessed. The one merit being that in this case it’s consensual. I wasn’t rooting for the FMC and MMC to be together, which is an unusual feeling. Maybe that was intentional? I’m still trying to figure out what Reid was aiming for in the inclusion of this romance. It definitely adds to the Shakespearean tragedy element rather than creating a satisfying love story.

When I sit back and think about my complaints I think it mostly lies with the fact that I think this story was told more effectively in Juniper and Thorn and A Study in Drowning. I understand how so many readers will absolutely fall in love with this book, if not only for Reid’s prose and evocative writing. I’m still left wondering how I might have felt had this been my first book of Reid's instead of the third.